Farmers appeal to commissioner for urgent assistance

By Ray Ryan Agriculture Correspondent

Thursday, November 26, 2009

IRISH farmers were in Brussels to outline the scale of the flooding that turned thousands of acres into vast lakes across the country to European Union agriculture and rural development Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.

Irish Farmers’ Association President Padraig Walshe met with the Commissioner and briefed her about the on-farm crisis that has developed as a result of the flooding.

He said the dire farm income situation this year, where a drop of 28% is placing huge strain on families, is heading for a disaster for those worst affected by the flooding.

"I impressed upon the Commissioner and her officials the need for urgent assistance," he said.

Mr Walshe said the Government allocation of €2 million for fodder is helpful, but much more resources will be required given the scale of the problem.

He urged farmers badly affected by the flooding to register their details with their local IFA office.

This information will be passed on to the Department of Agriculture, which is co-ordinating the allocation of the fodder fund.

Mr Walshe said farmers who were now in a fodder crisis as a result of the flooding should also contact their local IFA branch chairman in order to co-ordinate assistance from neighbouring farmers.

The IFA is also organising a number of clinics in the worst affected areas.

The first of these took place last night in Gort, Co Galway.

Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association president Jackie Cahill said that the position of the affected farmers was dire. No Government could ignore the plight of farming families whose land was flooded and whose supplies of fodder had been utterly ruined.

Mr Cahill said the ICMSA had requested Environment Minister John Gormley to apply the ‘specific mitigating circumstances’ regulation in the Nitrates Directive in order to ease the worries of farmers with flooded slurry tanks.

Michael Silke, of the Irish Farmers’ Association, said the situation was beyondbelief.

"Despite the best efforts of local volunteers and the council, communities are enduring the hardship associated with the damage caused by severe flooding,"said Mr Silk.

"The €2m flood support fund will have to be increased to deal withthe large number of farm families affected."

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, November 26, 2009